Politics

Abstract

Sustained theological reflection on the nature and purposes of politics is not a hallmark of evangelical thought. For systemic and contingent reasons, evangelical theology lacks dogmatic focus on the politics of a people who confess “Jesus is Lord.” Evangelicals of different stripes reveal modern prejudices in their ironic complicity with the separation of theology from politics. This essay argues that the future of evangelical political theology demands a reconstruction of older models of Christian political thought rather than an application of evangelical convictions to existing politics. Recent developments in political theory, theology, biblical studies, and cultural theory have led to a revived interest in political theology in both the academy and the wider public. This essay briefly examines these developments in relation to classical and evangelical traditions as well as more conventional approaches to “religion and politics.” It also considers Augustine's “two cities” theology, which were fundamental to the political, legal, and ecclesiological shockwaves of the Protestant Reformation.